The guidelines governing how affiliate publishers may or may not use a brand's trademarks, brand names, logos, and trademarked slogans in affiliate content, paid advertising, display URLs, domain names, and social media handles — protecting the brand's intellectual property while providing publishers with clear guidelines for promoting the brand within permissible boundaries. Trademark usage policies in affiliate programs typically cover four main areas: (1) Brand name usage in paid search advertising: specifying whether publishers may include the brand name as a keyword trigger for paid search ads (brand bidding policy) and whether the brand name may appear in ad copy headlines, descriptions, or display URLs; most programs permit the brand name in ad copy descriptions (describing the product being promoted) but prohibit use of the brand name as the display URL when the destination is the publisher's own site rather than the brand's site. (2) Logo and visual trademark usage: which logo versions publishers may use, minimum size requirements, clear space requirements, prohibited logo modifications (color changes, distortion, cropping), and approval requirements for logo usage in specific contexts (banner ads, social posts, email templates); most programs provide a downloadable creative asset package with approved logo files and usage guidelines. (3) Domain name and social media handle restrictions: prohibiting publishers from registering domain names or social media handles that contain the brand name or are confusingly similar to the brand's own domains and handles; domain restrictions are often explicitly listed in program terms. (4) Required attribution language: when referencing the brand in content, publishers should use proper trademark attribution and should not use the brand name in a way that implies official endorsement beyond what the affiliate relationship authorizes.
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